A terminally-ill South Australian mother has died after being mauled by her own pet dog, a tragic event that followed a life already scarred by the brutal murder of her father.
A Life Shaped by Tragedy
Christine Kulis, aged 39, died on Thursday at her home on Murphy Crescent in Whyalla Stuart. She was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and was described as being 'skin and bone' at the time of the fatal attack by her pitbull-mastiff crossbreed dog.
Her mother, Meredith Howe, confirmed her daughter had ignored pleas to have the animal put down following a previous serious attack just weeks earlier. In that incident, Ms Kulis suffered severe arm injuries, with flesh ripped off and tendons damaged, requiring her to be airlifted to a hospital in Adelaide.
Ms Howe revealed that her daughter's life had been marred from childhood. Christine's father, John Kulis, was murdered on May 2, 1989, when she was just a toddler. He was the same age, 39, as his daughter was when she died.
A Father's Brutal Murder
John Kulis was killed during a petty theft of his gambling winnings. Two men, New Zealander Michael Stephen Holden, 28, and Tasmanian Alan Leslie Walters, 58, visited his Port Augusta home. The Adelaide Advertiser reported they planned to drug him by putting Valium in his food to steal $200 he had won on the horses.
When Mr Kulis did not lose consciousness, Holden attacked him, punching him, jumping on his stomach, and choking him until he died. The Supreme Court heard his larynx was severely fractured and his skull sustained horrific injuries.
The following day, the pair bundled his body into a stolen car and drove it to an isolated spot 40km outside of town, where they buried him in a shallow grave next to the Stuart Highway. His body was found almost three weeks later and identified by fingerprints.
In 2017, Christine Kulis posted a heartbreaking childhood photograph with her father on findagrave.com, writing: 'Me and my dad. Love you, forever in my heart, xxx.'
Holden was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in jail with a non-parole period of 21 years. Walters pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to three years' jail.
Fatal Dog Attack and Aftermath
Police and paramedics rushed to Ms Kulis's Whyalla home around 4pm on Thursday but could not save her. She lived there with her fiancé of ten years, Arlan Potter. The couple had bred the attacking dog from another pet they owned.
Close friend Alison Erskine told the Daily Mail that Ms Kulis had tried to give up alcohol after doctors warned her she was dying, but kept returning to it. Mr Potter would reportedly push her around town in a shopping trolley when she became unable to walk.
Neighbours in Murphy Crescent said they were not surprised by the attack. The dog had allegedly killed several local pets and had been reported to Whyalla City Council on multiple occasions. One neighbour claimed it had been seen near children 'foaming at the mouth'.
CCTV footage showed Ms Kulis and Mr Potter in a physical row with a neighbour after the dog allegedly attacked their cat. In separate footage, the brown and white pitbull-mastiff was seen hurling itself at a neighbour's fence.
On Friday, a Whyalla city council spokesman confirmed the dog had been put down. South Australia Police are preparing a report for the coroner. Mr Potter, who was reportedly 'covered in blood' when police arrived, could not be reached for comment but has contacted friends about funeral expenses.
